Using English As A Tool To Create Change In Business

Even if you’re somewhat knowledgeable about English, really getting to grips with the complexity of applying it in the right places, correctly at the right time is a game of experience. Unlike other European languages, English doesn’t have the masculine, neutral and feminine subgroups of words and formations of sentences. This is the hidden nature of the language that many people from the outside struggle with. There isn’t a set rigid grid, no set logic to use the language only in these already established ways. English is so fluid, and it's very circumstantial in how you use it to emphasise your points. Using the language as a tool to your advantage in business can be undeniably immeasurable. Making tough calls and explaining why you did so, talking to bigwig executives and communicating with your staff effectively is part and parcel of being a leader in your business.

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Communicating with individuals

How you talk to employees is multi-layered in meaning. Specific words are important to show when you’re being direct and want to send a clear message that a goal must be met, or when some practice is off limits. Other times, when you want to be vague on purpose to mask movements but keep employees motivated, passive and subtle language is most important. Rather than saying something that ‘may’ happen, you can say something ‘is possible’. May implies that the wheels are set in motion, and you’re waiting for something to happen but something that is possible is an open-ended option which implies, you or they have more control with regards to making it happen. Words are extremely powerful and using them in the right context, can bring out the best and worst in your staff.

Image by Robert Garstka

Communicating with individuals

It's very easy to forget that when you’re working in the business, you’re dealing with individuals and not the title. Just because you have multiple managers doesn’t mean they all think the same, interpret your demands the word for word identically or even have the same goals or ways to reach them in a similar fashion. It's important to read up on how you can wield English to your advantage and in a sense, social skills such as featured on AJ's blog. You’ll learn how to talk to people who have almost polarized temperaments and how you can connect with them on a deeper level. English has the ability to be incredibly complex and sublime, while also being able to be used with minimalist grammar and words to get your point across and purely and straight to the point as possible. Using different tones to match the personalities of all your staff is something that every boss must have a skill that can be used as diplomacy and show understanding.

Social skills are the underlying invisible currency of business. Every business needs to have a boss that can communicate with all kinds of employees, both young and old, senior and junior, but make everyone feel like they’re equals. The power of language should be wielded like a sword and a shield in the world of business.